Sharp-shinned Hawk

[Nancy Bell]

Sharp-shinned Hawks are occasionally attracted to my bird feeders (or more accurately they are attacted to the bird-feeding birds!). This small male was photographed through a double-pane window during a snow squall. I clicked off 2 test shots and planned to slowly open the window but he was gone and I was left with just this. The BG is very busy and I tried to de-emphasize it with curves.
Canon 40D, Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS, 1/800, f4, ISO 400.

Comments, critiques and instruction very welcome.

[Fabs Forns]

EXP is right on and not bad for capturing it through glass doors. It would be much better if he gave you ahead turn, but according to your story he was up to other business :)
I may take one inch off the right for a stronger compo.

[Mark Schmitt]

Good image. Couple of comments. 1) how did you determine that it is a male? 2) I don't think that 'curves' is your best bet for de-emphasizing the BG. You might try using a mask to select the BG; promote this to a layer; use 'gausian blur' to blur the BG; using the blending sliders you can adjust the degree of blur to taste. This will create a nice soft effect withouth affecting the bird. FWIW ;)

[Harold Davis]

bg doesnt bother me that much. only the one branch that intersects the head just above the beak. love the soft light on the bird and sharp as a tack for shooting through the window. well done!!

[Nancy Bell]

I determined it was a male since was hardly much bigger than a robin. And now I see that branch intersecting with the head. I'll play with the gausian blur. Thank you all!

[Daniel Cadieux]

These guys are always a thrill to find, even if they are up to no good (well, at least from our perspective!) Too bad it didn't turn its head, but I suppose we can imagine it has its sights towards a nearby feeder:). Good suggestions already given above.

[Arthur Morris]

Ditto Fabs on the head turn and a crop from the right. The broken off main perch is a bit distracting even though it appears natural. Sharpness exceptional and EXP is right on.

[Steve Large]

Hi Nancy,
Like the feather details and although the eye contact is not the best, the color in the eye stands out quite nicely. Here is a re-work of the background. You may or may not like this as it tends to rob a lot of the distinct colors that were present in the original BG. I used the "super smooth" preset in Topaz Denoise to take the accent off.

Take care,

Steve

[Arthur Morris]

Good try Steve and thanks for trying but the BKGR now looks way-phony. I will be interested to see what others think :o